Communications Assessment of Developing Construction Industry Safety Culture from the Historical Focal Point of the Big Blue Accident

Abstract

The research objective of this study isto assess the development of safety culture in construction and engineering industries using the Big Bluecrane collapsethat occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsinin 1999as a historical focal point. Construction accidents, particularly those that cause injury or death, act as special catalysts in industry that propelforward safety efforts(McCann, 2008). The last few decades have witnessed a concerted effort on the part of construction and engineering industries to position safety culture as vital.Despite the challenges of increasingly complex technology and projects, individuals, organizations, and the industry more broadly have become invested in developing safety culture. This study analyzesthe growth of safety culture and how technical and professional communication can best support its continued development in specificcontexts. Accident assessment, communications research, documentation, and construction and engineering norms are examinedin coordination with one another in order to evaluate what safety culture is in this context, how it can be applied, and how it can be best supported using technical and professional communication principles.